Table 4 Recommendations stated in the ten clinical practice guidelines

Diagnosis

Indications of fine-needle aspiration (without suspicions)

n >1 cm

n >0.5 cm

n >0.5 cm

n >1 cm

All nodules

All nodules

N/A

n >1.5 cm

All nodules

n >1 cm

Routine serum calcitonin

Optional

NR

N/A

R

R

R

Optional

Optional

Optional

R

Thyroid scan

Low TSH

Follicular lesion with low TSH

N/A

Unclear

Before operation

NR

N/A

Follicular lesion with low TSH

Unclear

NR

Treatment

Indication of total thyroidectomy for DTC

N/A

n >1 cm

n >1 cm

n >1 cm

n >1 cm

n >1 cm

All sizes

n >4 cm

n >1 cm

n >4 cm

Cervical lymph node dissection (node negative)

N/A

n >4 cm

n >4 cm/male/age >45 years

Optional

Optional

N/A

n >4 cm

Optional

Unclear

Optional

Postoperative care

Indication of I¹³¹ ablation

N/A

n >4 cm/high-risk patients

High-risk patients

n >2 cm/high-risk patients

N/A

High-risk patients

High-risk patients

Tg >1 ng/ml/high-risk patients

n >1 cm

High-risk patients

Target level of TSH suppression therapy (mU/L)

High risk

N/A

<0.1

<0.1

<0.1

N/A

<0.1

<0.1

<0.1

0.01 to 0.1

<0.1

Low risk

N/A

0.1 to 0.5

0.1 to 0.5

WNL

N/A

0.4 to 1.0

Close to the lower limit

<0.1 to 0.5